Smite
by Dark Arwen
Summary: SaraCath, CathEddie hinted at. "Eddie never thought it would end..." PG-13 for violent themes, spoilers for Lady Heather's Box.


Title: Smite  
Author: Feather  
Challenge: No dialogue  
Pairings: Sara/Catherine, Catherine/Eddie hinted at.  
Ratings: PG-13  
Word Count: 809  
Disclaimer: If I owned them, I'd share them with you. Sadly, however...  
Spoilers: Lady Heather's Box  
Author's Note: This has been floating around in my head for a while. OOC-ness and a bit of violence. Also posted in the cathandsara community on LiveJournal.  
**Suggested Soundtrack:** Track 11 from "The Village" Original Soundtrack, or "Claudia's Allegro Agitato" from Interview with the Vampire.

Eddie never really thought it would end. Although he knew, deep down, that when it did end, it would be like this.

He knew he wouldn't make it. The certainty of the fact washed over him in pain-tinged waves, and he tried not to regret that his final moments would be spent with a pink-haired maniac who really meant nothing to him. He failed.

Candeece was screaming something; her idiot boyfriend was shouting back. Eddie lost track of who they were yelling at- each other, him, the cruel god looking down from the heavens that engineered life to be so damn unfair. Lindsay's face, peering out from the car window, was a pale star in the darkness.

There would be arguments later on. Candeece would say that it was Kiner who ended his life, and Kiner would argue the same about Candeece. He doubted that anyone would ever know the truth. He wondered if he wanted anyone to know the truth, as he staggered slightly and raised his eyes from his blood on the pavement to the shadow of the building at the far end of the parking lot.

She held the gun out, still, as if she wanted to savor the moment of it. Even from this distance he could see the drops of rain striking and sparkling off the barrel, the only part of the weapon visible in the weary light of the street lamps. Then, slowly, it was lowered, retreating into the darkness.

Her eyes caught his and held them. He had expected her gaze to be cold, triumphant; it was, but he was surprised to catch a hint of sadness there, too. Regret. Not regret for her actions but remorse that in the end it had come to this. Strands of dark hair fall forward into her face, curling gently in the rain, and the water falls like tears down her face. He thinks for the first time how beautiful she is, and suddenly understands how attractive she can be, when you're not looking. It's a beauty to blindside you and trip you up. Or in Eddie's case, end your life.

Candeece's screeching brings him back into real time. Lindsay's brows have knitted into a frown. The boyfriend has jumped onto his motorcycle and taken off into the night, as if he were a superhero. His blood is still leaking onto the ground, staining his fingers red. He doesn't remember lowering his hands to his stomach.

Stumbling, Candeece catches him and leads him to the car. She's talking about a hospital but he's not listening to her, really, just smiling into the backseat at Lindsay, trying to reassure her, trying to stop thinking about how much she looks like her mother. Eddie feels a flare of jealousy for a moment. Catherine is his. No one else's. He turns his head to the side, staring out the window in the direction she stands. He wants to argue, but the words have frozen on his lips. Those pretty lips of hers twist into a sardonic smile. She knows he wants to fight, and they both know that he's lost whatever battle there might have been before it had a chance to start.

Catherine is hers, now. He remembers that they've been seeing each other on and off for a while now; it must have become more serious than he realized. He remembers using it as a weapon against Catherine. Remembers that hurting her with it brought him some sort of satisfaction and soothed his bruised ego. Eddie reflects on how much he must have hurt her, and realizes such speculations are useless at this point. Imminent death has made life much clearer. It becomes apparent to him that if he had not pushed Catherine to seek comfort from her avenging lover, he might not be in this position right now.

She's still staring at him. A stunning angel of death, the stuff that vampire movies are made of. She tries to break him with her glance, telling him more with one look than she ever could with a thousand words. That she loves Catherine more than he ever could, that she'll be safe from heartbreak now, that in the end, it's better this way. That the last obstacle from a happily-ever-after ending has been removed. Her eyes are nothing but fire and ice, rage and passion and a deep, deep love. He thinks that this woman should have been born in another century. She has the glare of a saint.

He notices her eyes are brown, and he wonders if Catherine likes blue or brown eyes better. He wished he had asked her when he had the chance.

The car peels out, all tires and squeals on the wet asphalt. Sara is left alone with her thoughts and a warm gun.

She thinks she did her best.


End file.
